Use fat as a lever. We’ve been taught to fear fat, but don’t! Both keto and low carb are high fat diets. Fat is our source of energy as well as satiety. The key to understand, though, is that fat is a lever on a low carb or keto diet. Carbs and protein stay constant, and fat is the one you increase or decrease (push the lever up or down) to gain or lose weight, respectively. So if your goal is weight loss, eat enough fat to be satisfied, but there’s no need to “get your fats in” once you’re satisfied.

Eat fat only until full. Don’t eat any more than you can handle. Sometimes people think they have to eat lots of fat whereas it is really eating the fat that naturally comes with a meal (i.e:not trimming a fatty steak) and adding as much fat as feels right to your meals through sauces and cheese for example. I don’t go our of my way to eat extra fat. If you are still hungry though but don’t feel like the heavy feeling some fat brings, add some coconut cream to your smoothies.

I’ve seen young body-builder types with grocery trolleys full of eggs, cans of tuna, lean beef and especially skinless/boneless chicken breasts – so I adopted that habit about 5 months ago. 2 or 3 eggs for breakfast, sometimes with cheese or bacon, a can of tuna with carb-free herbs for lunch, and then a steak or big chicken breast or even some meat-only hot dogs for dinner. I don’t purposely eat more fat than necessary, mostly because the calories are not needed. I have not been hungry AT ALL, even when sitting down to eat. No temptation to “cheat”, either. Result? I am approaching 100 pounds lost (not proud of being THAT fat, believe me) , blood pressure dropped from 170/100 to 122/80, acid reflux totally gone, any joint pain banished, and a closet full of clothes I can wear once again.

In one week my husband lost 1.5 kg because of Keto diet and recipes. Thank you for the insights and tips. I would like to have a complete recipe for meals everyday and hoping by subscribing I will receive try my mail. I will keep u posted. It takes 2 to tango. The one who wants to diet must be cooperative with the plan and execution while the other person who is preparing the food must be patient to the dieting person. Its not easy to change meals so patience is required

I personally don’t count anymore as I want this to be as easy and sustainable as possible. I have had years of counting calories and points, and this is incredibly liberating. I just don’t eat any sugars, grains or high carb foods any more so I am incredibly low carb all the time. When I was starting out I counted, just to see where my carbs were coming from and it was an eye opener. And yes you are correct, to go into ketosis anywhere between 20-50g carbs/day. Find out what works for you.

Hi there Libby, just to let you and your readers know, I have been low carb for over a year now, ( sometimes I fall down and have processed carbs, mostly when I am travelling away from home) and the good news is I was diabetic, and now I am pre-diabetic, which is huge :O) I have also lost a small amount of weight in the process ( still more to go :O) but this eating plan makes me feel normal again, not always hungry, and I am a lot healthier than I was :O) now all I need to do is make exercise a habit :O) So thank you so much for all the time and energy you put in to this site, and all of these wonderful recipes :O)

Hi Mel, Assuming that your ranch dressing doesn’t have sugar added, you don’t need to worry too much about limiting it, but within reason. This is my homemade ranch dressing recipe, which has 0.9g net carbs per 2-tbsp serving. It would be hard to find a store bought one with much less than that, even though some round anything less than 1g down to 0g, which isn’t truly accurate. Also, keep in mind that if weight loss is your goal, some people find that too much dairy can cause a stall. Finally, make sure you aren’t using all your “available” carbs on ranch dressing – have it with some low carb veggies!

Hi Barb, That can definitely be it. Losing when you are close to goal can be more difficult. It could also be that your body’s healthy weight is a little higher than what you’d like – which doesn’t mean you can’t lose, but makes it more difficult. If just eating Keto foods isn’t working, double check the macros for your weight and see if the amount you’re eating needs to be adjusted. You’ll find more help and support in our support group here.
What a great post. I thought i would add about the selection of food you eat on keto and that everyone is different. Some food gives you energy and some doesnt, this varies person to person. I started and quit keto 3 times before i managed to find my balance. The first few times it made be poorly, from the shock of diet change. However, you can wean yourself into the diet which i did the last time when i had the most success.

The Mediterranean-style low carb diet approach, which we recommend in The Blood Sugar Diet, is a low sugar diet, low in starchy, easily digestible carbs, but packed full of disease-fighting vitamins and flavonoids. It is rich in olive oil, fish, nuts, fruit and vegetables, but also contains lots of lovely things that down the years we have been told not to eat, such as full fat yoghurt and eggs.

The key is to make sure you are getting enough energy from fats and proteins. By going low carb you will probably be eating a wider range of healthy vegetables, meats and healthy fats compared to many other nursing mothers who may be snacking on bread, crisps and cakes. Also make sure you are drinking enough fluids. Here is a good thread from a discussion board on exactly this topic.

Hi. I stumbled on your site via FB. I follow a lot of the advice you offer already. I typically eat scrambled eggs with turkey, a piece of wholebread toast and coffee for breakfast, salad and breast of chicken with vegetables for lunch and something similar (chicken or red meat or salmon) for dinner, with 2 snacks of 3 rice cakes with 150 gr. of turkey and a protein shake if I go to the gym (weights training 3x week). In the first 3 months of eating like this my % fat went down from 17.5 % to 14 % (44 yr old male), while keeping weight constant, but another 4 months later I stay the same. I wanted to ask, if I want to continue to lose fat, should I:
Note: Many of the meals on this page include a side of healthy vegetables or healthy fruits. Although fruits and veggies are typically not low carb (under 10 g of total carbohydrates), that doesn't mean that they aren't good for you. Even if you're following a low carb diet, you should still eat plenty of fruits and veggies. In addition, you should consult with your doctor before embarking on a low carb diet.
Lunch: pat dry chicken and cut into cubes. Lightly (!) salt and pepper. Heat a skillet over medium heat, once hot add coconut oil and fry chicken cubes until brown from all sides. Remove chicken, and add crushed garlic, curry paste and fish sauce to pan. Stir until fragrant and remaining oil in pan and curry paste are well combined. Then add coconut milk and whisk until well combined. Simmer and reduce sauce until desired consistency (1-3 minutes). Pour sauce over chicken and sprinkle with sesame seeds. Serve with baby spinach.
There is extensive evidence for the benefit of the Mediterranean style low carb diet, including cutting your risk of heart disease and diabetes. It has even been found to reduce risk the risk of breast cancer, compared with those on a low-fat diet. Consuming extra virgin olive oil (the fresh squeezed juice of olives) seems to be particularly beneficial when it comes to cancer, perhaps because it contains compounds such as polyphenols which are known to be anti-inflammatory.